The Present and the Future (In terms of me)

[Simon Brewer]

So it then hit me. Looking at the mathematics, the calculus, the concepts, everything... It overwhelmed me. I am at the point in high school and life where a career path is in the future. And college is two years away. I am definitely serious about a career field in meteorology. I know this for a fact. I just have reached this problem where it is either "I'm reading over the same stuff again and again" or "I have no clue what I am reading." And sure, I may be jumping the gun a little bit, but how did some of you guys learn? QUOTE]

Time is the answer you seek; learn it step by step, class by class. Some people move faster, some slower, but if you want to gain knowledge & understanding of a subject you have to keep progressing in increments regardless of the pace.

 

[Paul Knightley]

You'll find that trying to read up on it ahead of a class can make it seem much more daunting than getting into the class and working on examples. I had a hard time grasping pure mathematics at school - I found I needed to see it applied for it to make sense - well, the atmosphere is a great place to see applied mathematics at work! You can link every equation (pretty much) to an observable process, and ultimately, the supercell in front of you will make sense from a physical perspective! Stick at it!

 

[curiousnoob]

I see a lot of debate about a Meteorology degree. Right now I am wrestling with the decision of committing myself to it. I am learning that I love weather because it is just an "awe" experience. Anyways, in a worse scenario what types of other career options does one obtain with this degree? Someone mentioned you have to have a PhD to obtain the career opportunities? I am just curious to hear what others have to say who have some experience with this? Thank you in advance.

 

[rdale]

You do not need a PhD unless you want to stay in academia for research purposes. It can't hurt though if you want to get into the NWS or a private sector firm. However a met degree by itself doesn't really transfer to anything else. Having a usable minor, like computer programming, GIS, etc. can translate.